I’m off to MD Anderson in Houston TX for scans and possible new treatments. Wish me luck! Are you or someone you know going through treatments now?

“How are you doing?” Somebody asked me that in the grocery store last week. Right there in the cereal aisle. I said, “I’m grateful.” And I meant it. I am grateful. Sixteen-plus years of this, and I still wake up most mornings glad to be here. But walking out to my MINI Countryman, I got honest with myself. Because “I’m grateful” is also the answer that ends the conversation. It’s clean. It’s tidy. Nobody has to ask a follow-up question. Which makes it a cousin of “I’m fine.” And I’ve spent a lot of years telling people to stop performing “fine.” Here’s what I’ve landed on. It isn’t one answer. It’s three, and you pick by who’s asking. For the stranger, the cashier, the guy at the gas pump. Give them something warm and quick. “Still here. Still upright.” Let them go. Not every question is an invitation, and not every person is asking. That’s okay. For the ones who know you a little. Try telling one true thing. “The body’s slower than the mind these days. But I’m grateful — and I’m not just saying that.” That little half-sentence at the end is the whole trick. It tells them the gratitude isn’t a dodge. For the ones who actually want to know. This is the one I’d give you if I could only give you one: “You want the short version, or the real one?” That’s it. That’s the whole move. It costs you nothing, and it hands them the choice. Most people will take the short version. That’s fine — no hard feelings, they weren’t ready. But every now and then somebody’s going to look you in the eye and say, “The real one.” And there it is. The door opens. You get to stop carrying it alone for ten minutes. That’s how it starts. Not with the big gesture. With one honest question you almost didn’t ask. So — what’s your answer been lately? The one you give at the grocery store, and the one that’s actually true. Both. Put them in the comments if you’re willing. I’ll go first. Grocery store: “I’m grateful.” The real one: I’m grateful, and I’m tired, and there’s a part of me that’s still not used to the pace my body sets. All three things at once. That’s the honest version.

A little help, friends. I said goodbye to my Weimaraners, Milo and Zoey, a while back — more dog than my body can keep up with these days. But the house is too quiet without one. So I’m looking for a Zuchon — some call them teddy bears. Small, gentle, porch-sized. Right for this chapter. My ask: does anyone know a good, trustworthy breeder? Not a website — a real person who raises pups in the house and would want to know where theirs ends up. And if you know an older teddy bear needing a soft place to land, I’m all ears. The porch light’s on. About time somebody little was under it again. — Grandpa-T

Had a great class today with Rachel and I’m finding that I need so much more core exercise. Do you do any type of core exercise? I find difficult to get motivated to exercise in general. How do you feel about exercising? Do you like it?